“It’s a beautiful day in San Francisco and a beautiful day for our waterfront, which we love,” said Jon Golinger, who directed the referendum campaign. “We have challenged the power at City Hall.”

The project’s opponents argued that the 134-unit condominium development was too intrusive for the Embarcadero and would obstruct waterfront views. While the revised height ordinance is the only concern included in the referendum, other objections to the project included the loss of the Golden Gateway Tennis and Swim Club and the plan for a 389-space underground garage.

A combination of volunteers and paid circulators collected the 31,371 signatures. The campaign raised about $150,000 to put the referendum on the ballot, Golinger said, including $80,000 from Dick and Barbara Stewart, neighbors concerned about the loss of the tennis and swim club.

“This was a very well-funded, self-serving effort,” said P.J. Johnston, a spokesman for the developer. “They were able to pay $6 a signature to get people to go out and mislead people about the project.”

The 70 boxes of signatures turned in at the city elections office contain far more than the 19,405 signatures required to put the referendum on the ballot. But right now no one is sure what ballot it would be placed on.

While the city has 30 days to certify the petition for the ballot, the deadline for putting something on this November’s ballot is early August. If the referendum was certified after the deadline, it likely would be placed on the next citywide ballot, which is November 2013.

That’s if it reaches the ballot at all. Once the referendum is certified, the height ordinance will return to the supervisors for a do-over vote. If they approve it once again, the referendum moves to the ballot. If they vote it down or work out a new height agreement with the developer, there will be no need for the citywide vote.